Global Trends of Trait Matching in Avian Frugivory and Its Consequences for the Complementarity and Irreplaceability of Birds
It is generally accepted that small birds cannot eat large fruits and that highly frugivorous species prefer lipid-poor ones (morphological and nutritional trait-matching). Yet, it is unclear if these rules operate globally and if their strength varies with latitude and on islands. This could have i...
| Autores: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/396041 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/396041 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85218697458 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Complementarity Frugivory Island Latitude Trait‐matching |
| Sumario: | It is generally accepted that small birds cannot eat large fruits and that highly frugivorous species prefer lipid-poor ones (morphological and nutritional trait-matching). Yet, it is unclear if these rules operate globally and if their strength varies with latitude and on islands. This could have important functional implications for the degree of complementarity and irreplaceability of birds. We analyse avian frugivory in 59 communities across the globe and show that trait-matching is widespread. The strength of morphological trait-matching increased with latitude, and especially on islands, leading to high complementarity between large and small birds. However, whether this resulted in irreplaceability depended on the range of fruit sizes available in the community. Nutritional trait-matching was also common, but did not lead to complementarity or irreplaceability because birds with contrasting diets did not show opposite responses to lipid-poor fruits. We show that trait-matching is pervasive, but its functional consequences are complex. |
|---|